The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-25
THE SALVATION ARMY.
ITS EXTRAORDINARY GROWTH
AND STRENGTH IN ENGLAND.
Gen Booth and His Wife Control
100000 Worth Of Property-The
Recruits Largely From the Working
Glasses,
From the Chicago News.

Recruits Largely From the Working
Glasses.
From the Chicago Netos.
LONDON, Sept. 6,-The Salvation Army is
very strong in England 1t is surprising to
see how many recruits Gen. Booth has made
since the establishment of his peculiar form
of religion. With us the Salvationists have
never made much Roadway, but in England
they are strong and are each year growing
in power and riches. Il is g form of religion
that makes an especial appeal to the people in
the streets The people who walks the streets
of London are fond of noise and excitement.
The Salvation Army, therefore, attracts
them Gen. Booth, who is at the head Of
the army, is to-day very rich man. The
collections made by him through his various
divisions of this army have been invested
from time to time in real estate property in
London. | am told by those who know that
the General and his wife control property to
the amount of S2,000,000. Throughout
London there are numerous Salvation Army
barracks These barracks are always in
comfortable buildings, where the army peo-
pie appear to have no difficulty in raising
the money to pay their rent and for the
comfortable maintenance of their quarters.
The army's recruits are largely from the
working classes. There is no doubt that the
life of Salvation Army man is becoming
very attractive to the average workingman.
In tae first place the army now provides
solid, comfortable clothing for its recruits,
heavy shoes, and place of abode. Instead
of performing hard manual labor the recruit
wears a comfortable uniform and has moth
ing much to do except march about and
harangue his fellow-creatures AS the
English are fond of talking, and equally en-
joy street parades and spectacles, it natur-
ally follows that the army, being able to
pay and clothe its recruits comfortably,
steadily gains in strength in spite of the
ridicule which is heaped upon it.
In a number Of instances leaders of the
army have been arrested during the last
two or three months for obstructing the
streets where they meet, but have noticed
that whenever arrests have been made such
arrests have been regarded by the masses in
the nature of prosecutions, and the result
has been to increase the popularity and the
strength of the army. The newer growth
of the army is chiefly in the provinces and
the rural villages of England. The repre-
sentatives of the Established Church of
England never miss an opportunity to de
nounce the leaders of the Salvation Army as
fanatics, blasphemers of holy things, and
men whose principles are dangerous to the
morals of society. The result has been that
this position of the Church of England
towards these wandering street preachers
has had the effect of strengthening them by
bringing to their support the very strong dis
senting element which exists throughout the
provinces. | should not be at all surprised
if the organization of the Salvation Army
should in the end compromise and take in
the greater part of the dissenters. The dis
senters know no way to make their opposl-
ton to the Church of England more clear
than by associating themselves with the Sal
walton Army crowd, which in the minds of
the Church of England people represents
everything sensational, coarse, vulgar and
unrefned, while the Church of England is
supposed to represent the very height and
zenith of responsibility
The noisy, energetic, never-w earying Sal
walton Army people are producing decided
change of opinion throughout the rural
towns The army leaders have no re-
spect for established precedents and have
no reverence for church institutions, and at
tack with savage ardor the Church of Eng
land as State institution, and continually
din INTO the ears of their listeners arguments
against the Established Church Last Sun
day | was in the little Village of Whirwell,
in Hampshire, not quite two hours ride from
London. This is village of perhaps 400 or
500 inhabitants The houses were nearly all
matched cottages | found i'll this simple,
quiet, rural place nearly every villager was
a furious disSenter and an active member of
the Salvation Army. / heard everywhere
arguments against the church. Said one
stalwart cottager: "Why should one tenth
of our tax rates go to one church? If we
must give up one-tenth to religion, why
should not it be divided among all of the
churches! Why should not the disSenters
have their shareW As the Church of England
is a political institution this movement of
the Salvation Army has political signii
canoe not to be underestimated. The latter's
| arguments and methods are best calculated
to affect the minds of the uneducated people
of England who are not to be reached by
ordinary means. The working uneducated
classes of England are dissatisfied with the
present order of things They are beginning
to think and TO ask questions why they
should submit to this or that form of in
| justice.
The Salvation Army people are sending
| out delegates all through Europe. | read
| i'll French newspaper the other day an ac-
| count of the growth of this organization,
and from it | learned that they are reaching
out into Russia, Norway and Sweden, and
throughout all the principal Continental
countries. 1t is an organization which is
| certain to have Il great influence i'll Eu-
ropean affairs. Wherever it goes it breaches
| equality, freedom of thought, and, while it
is not openly an opponent of existing mon
| archical governments, the effect of its teach
| ings leads i'll that direction. The govern
ments of Europe are closely allied to some
| one of the orthodox churches, and against
these orthodox churches the Salvation
| Army leaders make constant war. They
are now sending ont delegates to India. /
have noticed in the streets for number of
weeks companies of Salvation Army people
wearing East India dress as the most strk-
| ing means of showing to the people of Lon
don what they are about to do. With us
the Salvation Army could never make any
Roadway. There is too much freedom.
They can only thrive i'll the face Of opposi-
| ton, something to overcome. Here they
are most resoute, most furiouSly in ear
nest and they therefore meet with wonder
full success in point of numbers
of recruits gained and in material
prosperity They appear TO have no diff
Guilty in finding any amount of money.
Their newspaper here, the War Cly, has a
large circulation. 1t is a well edited and
well-printed paper. 1t will compare very
favolably with the best religious weekies.
Some idea of the strength of the army in
England may be gathered from the fact
that Gen. Booth has on his rolls today
| 500 officers. It was only few DAYS ago
that the reunion of the army forces in Lon.
don at the Alexandra Palace brought ont
a parade of 1000 people. This organiza
ton is enthusiastic, irrepressible and
fanatically devoted t. the orders
of their chief, Gen Booth. His
power over his followers is SC
] ~. 4. a